Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to hex
Short answerThe closest alternatives to hex on crates.io data are data-encoding (1.4M real downloads a day), base64 (4.6M real downloads a day), serde_core (3.8M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is base64, and 7 shipped a release in the last year. hex itself gets 1,974,541 a day with 14,719 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs hex | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-encoding Established | 1,416,151 | 0.72x | 854 | 3mo | category Encoding, category No standard library, keyword "hex", keyword "no_std" | side by side |
| base64 Foundational | 4,638,981 | 2.35x | 19,537 | 3mo | category Encoding, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| serde_core Established | 3,794,333 | 1.92x | 229 | 3mo | category Encoding, category No standard library, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| toml_datetime Pulled in | 3,215,444 | 1.63x | 29 | 16d | category Encoding, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| toml Foundational | 2,960,881 | 1.50x | 20,777 | 15d | category Encoding, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| toml_parser Pulled in | 1,763,218 | 0.89x | 22 | 15d | category Encoding, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| half Widely used | 1,416,928 | 0.72x | 1,633 | 12mo | category Encoding, category No standard library, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| toml_writer Pulled in | 1,210,489 | 0.61x | 15 | 16d | category Encoding, keyword "no_std" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with hex; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For hex: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with hex, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Established and steady. 1,416,151 real downloads a day.data-encodingRust crate. Efficient and customizable data-encoding functions like base64, base32, and hex. Real use: 1.4M downloads a day on quiet days; 854 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time